In the absence of hard numbers, I still find many pluses
in my form of budget travel:
(1) Safety/security: this is number one, since I
frequently travel alone. I am more comfortable meeting fellow travelers
over breakfast in a hostel than in a hotel bar. I never fear
being followed to my room (though I am careful in some of the neighborhoods where hostels are located). Though it is probably an illusion, I believe my baggage and valuables are as safe in a dorm of
backpackers than in a hotel room. The roomies watch out for me, as I watch out for them, and are nearby if I need help. Yeah, sharing a room can disrupt your sleep--so I bring earplugs and a face mask.
(2) Camaraderie: Many times I have discovered fellow
travelers at hostels to share rides, stories, and companionship, especially in foreign
countries--such as getting a lift to Slovenia's karst region to tour the caverns. In Hawaii, the hostel sponsored inexpensive van trips every day to places like volcanoes and secluded beaches. Though hotels offer tours too, the price and quality of companionship and fun don't come close to those offered through hostels.
(3) Pace: Studying bus and tram schedules, perusing maps,
studying addresses, and figuring out public
transportation takes time. That can be a good thing! It forces me to slow down and look around, and--surprise!--talk to residents! In Japan, people at transit stations went out of their way to help me puzzle through fares and directions while making my way to some Buddhist temples on a remote seashore. In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, I spent a whole
day finding the perfect inexpensive guesthouse after getting off a train. I was tired, but the research was fun. In
Zokopane, Poland, I followed an elderly woman for ½ hour to her house in order to
accept a $6/night sofa bed in her den. Now that I’m retired, I have even more opportunity
to take my time and take advantages of these opportunities to save money and "do as the Romans do."
(4) Local flavor: You can't beat walking and talking for getting to know a place. On Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, I skipped the luxurious hot springs spa and headed straight for the annual Fall Festival (a mini agricultural fair, complete with goats and geese and apple pies). For $15, I got homemade blackberry pie, honky tonk music, and bleating sheep. In Japan, I spent several days watching street parades and charades, and sampling the street food, at a cherry blossom festival in a mountain town. This doesn’t work for the traveler who wants to be escorted to one sight after another and constantly entertained. Instead, it grounds you in the local scene and introduces you to its citizens. This, for me, is one of the best reasons for traveling.
5) Comfort: OK, I won't suggest that sharing a dorm room and bathroom in a hostel is comfortable. But try this on: taking a bus or train is easier and less stressful than flying. Last week, I took a Bolt Bus from Vancouver to Bellingham, Washington, for $14 and a Greyhound from Bellingham to Seattle for $11. I showed up 20 minutes before the bus, personally placed my suitcase in the luggage locker and retrieved it later without delay, and climbed aboard without waiting in lines, taking off my shoes, or going through machines. Last year I took Amtrak to Savannah, Georgia, for Thanksgiving--11 hours and $99--and was calm and relaxed when I arrived. The Greyhound seats are as comfortable as a plane, while Bolt and Amtrak are waaaayyy more comfortable than Delta or American. The delays are no worse than on airlines. The bathrooms are less accommodating; on the other hand, the buses and trains have free wifi. Whenever the bus or train trip is less than 8 or 9 hours, the time spent either comes out way ahead of, or, at worst, is the same as the time spent in airports and airplanes. Eight hours will get me as far as Boston.
6) Fun: Budget travel is not for everyone. As for me, however, I get my kicks out of interacting more closely with people, keeping my feet on the ground, exploring the local economy, and keeping more greenbacks (or Euros or krona) in my wallet. I don't deprive myself -- while I save on some things (accommodation, transportation), I often splurge on others (food, museums). And in the end, I can go more places if I stretch my dollars along the way.
I've hung out my shingle. I am taking appointments now for consultations on how to budget for traveling inexpensively yet comfortably and enjoyably! 
(4) Local flavor: You can't beat walking and talking for getting to know a place. On Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, I skipped the luxurious hot springs spa and headed straight for the annual Fall Festival (a mini agricultural fair, complete with goats and geese and apple pies). For $15, I got homemade blackberry pie, honky tonk music, and bleating sheep. In Japan, I spent several days watching street parades and charades, and sampling the street food, at a cherry blossom festival in a mountain town. This doesn’t work for the traveler who wants to be escorted to one sight after another and constantly entertained. Instead, it grounds you in the local scene and introduces you to its citizens. This, for me, is one of the best reasons for traveling.
5) Comfort: OK, I won't suggest that sharing a dorm room and bathroom in a hostel is comfortable. But try this on: taking a bus or train is easier and less stressful than flying. Last week, I took a Bolt Bus from Vancouver to Bellingham, Washington, for $14 and a Greyhound from Bellingham to Seattle for $11. I showed up 20 minutes before the bus, personally placed my suitcase in the luggage locker and retrieved it later without delay, and climbed aboard without waiting in lines, taking off my shoes, or going through machines. Last year I took Amtrak to Savannah, Georgia, for Thanksgiving--11 hours and $99--and was calm and relaxed when I arrived. The Greyhound seats are as comfortable as a plane, while Bolt and Amtrak are waaaayyy more comfortable than Delta or American. The delays are no worse than on airlines. The bathrooms are less accommodating; on the other hand, the buses and trains have free wifi. Whenever the bus or train trip is less than 8 or 9 hours, the time spent either comes out way ahead of, or, at worst, is the same as the time spent in airports and airplanes. Eight hours will get me as far as Boston.
6) Fun: Budget travel is not for everyone.
Pinching Pennies on the Road: A Tour of Budgetland
I’ve always believed that I’d run out of money to finance my
extravagant and luxurious lifestyle before I reach the age of 75. Traveling all
over the world doesn’t come cheap, you know!
Even now, having saved a substantial nest egg, earned a
decent pension from my federal retirement, and been assured by a financial
advisor that I can make it to age 95 (at least my bank account, if not my
bones), it’s difficult to shake the starvation mentality. If I take the subway to
that doctor’s appointment instead of a taxi, or even better use my bicycle,
then I can take Amtrak to Charleston for Thanksgiving, or splurge on croissante almandes in Paris. The math
may not add up, exactly, but the conscience is assuaged.
Because my brain continues to assure me saving money is a
necessary evil, I buy bread and cheese at local markets and frequent the youth
hostels of the globe. Just as well: I’m uncomfortable in fancy hotels and
restaurants anyway, where I have to give up my faded jeans and torn t-shirts
and constantly calculate tips.
As I’ve gotten older and required more comfort, my standards
have crept upward a bit. For example, I’m in a private room at the hostel in
Vancouver instead of a bunk in the women’s dorm. When I arrived at the airport,
I hopped in a taxi without even checking the bus schedule. And…ahem…I splurged
on a margarita last night. Not one to make radical changes quickly, however, I
ate two meals at a $6-for-every-dish joint—the student hangouts in Vancouver,
where a burger costs $15. I walked ½ mile to the ferry with two rolling
suitcases and a backpack. And, in need of musical sustenance on my three-week
sailing excursion, I bought a guitar at a Vancouver pawn shop instead of the
music store two blocks away. (I did look at the store first.) I’m scheduled on
Greyhound for my return to the USA, at least as far as Seattle.
In the absence of hard numbers, I still believe in the pluses
of my form of budget travel:
(1) Safety/security: this is number one for me, since I
frequently travel alone. I am far more comfortable meeting fellow travelers
over breakfast in a hostel than being chatted up in a hotel bar. I never fear
being followed to my hotel room (though I am careful in some of the
neighborhoods where hostels are located). I may be under an illusion, but my
instinct is that my baggage and valuables also may be more secure in a dorm of
young backpackers than locked in an anonym0us hotel room.
(2) Camaraderie: Many times I have discovered fellow
travelers at hostels to share rides, stories, and companionship in foreign
countries. This doesn’t happen at hotels.
(3) Pace: Studying bus and tram schedules, perusing maps,
calculating distances, researching attractions, and going places by public
transportation takes time. In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, I spent a whole
day finding the perfect inexpensive guesthouse after getting off a train. In
Zokopane, Poland, I followed an elderly woman for ½ hour to her house and
accepted a $6/night sofa bed in her den. Now that I’m retired, I have more time
than ever to spend finding resources and making my way to attractions.
Local flavor: In
Japan, people at the transit stations went out of their way to help me puzzle
through fares and directions. This doesn’t work for the traveler who wants to
be ushered around and entertained on a schedule. However, it grounds you in the
local scene and introduces you to its citizens. This, for me, is one of the
reasons for traveling.
Pinching Pennies on the Road: A Tour of Budgetland
I’ve always believed that I’d run out of money to finance my
extravagant and luxurious lifestyle before I reach the age of 75. Traveling all
over the world doesn’t come cheap, you know!
Even now, having saved a substantial nest egg, earned a
decent pension from my federal retirement, and been assured by a financial
advisor that I can make it to age 95 (at least my bank account, if not my
bones), it’s difficult to shake the starvation mentality. If I take the subway to
that doctor’s appointment instead of a taxi, or even better use my bicycle,
then I can take Amtrak to Charleston for Thanksgiving, or splurge on croissante almandes in Paris. The math
may not add up, exactly, but the conscience is assuaged.
Because my brain continues to assure me saving money is a
necessary evil, I buy bread and cheese at local markets and frequent the youth
hostels of the globe. Just as well: I’m uncomfortable in fancy hotels and
restaurants anyway, where I have to give up my faded jeans and torn t-shirts
and constantly calculate tips.
As I’ve gotten older and required more comfort, my standards
have crept upward a bit. For example, I’m in a private room at the hostel in
Vancouver instead of a bunk in the women’s dorm. When I arrived at the airport,
I hopped in a taxi without even checking the bus schedule. And…ahem…I splurged
on a margarita last night. Not one to make radical changes quickly, however, I
ate two meals at a $6-for-every-dish joint—the student hangouts in Vancouver,
where a burger costs $15. I walked ½ mile to the ferry with two rolling
suitcases and a backpack. And, in need of musical sustenance on my three-week
sailing excursion, I bought a guitar at a Vancouver pawn shop instead of the
music store two blocks away. (I did look at the store first.) I’m scheduled on
Greyhound for my return to the USA, at least as far as Seattle.
In the absence of hard numbers, I still believe in the pluses
of my form of budget travel:
(1) Safety/security: this is number one for me, since I
frequently travel alone. I am far more comfortable meeting fellow travelers
over breakfast in a hostel than being chatted up in a hotel bar. I never fear
being followed to my hotel room (though I am careful in some of the
neighborhoods where hostels are located). I may be under an illusion, but my
instinct is that my baggage and valuables also may be more secure in a dorm of
young backpackers than locked in an anonym0us hotel room.
(2) Camaraderie: Many times I have discovered fellow
travelers at hostels to share rides, stories, and companionship in foreign
countries. This doesn’t happen at hotels.
(3) Pace: Studying bus and tram schedules, perusing maps,
calculating distances, researching attractions, and going places by public
transportation takes time. In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, I spent a whole
day finding the perfect inexpensive guesthouse after getting off a train. In
Zokopane, Poland, I followed an elderly woman for ½ hour to her house and
accepted a $6/night sofa bed in her den. Now that I’m retired, I have more time
than ever to spend finding resources and making my way to attractions.
Local flavor: In
Japan, people at the transit stations went out of their way to help me puzzle
through fares and directions. This doesn’t work for the traveler who wants to
be ushered around and entertained on a schedule. However, it grounds you in the
local scene and introduces you to its citizens. This, for me, is one of the
reasons for traveling.
Pinching Pennies on the Road: A Tour of Budgetland
I’ve always believed that I’d run out of money to finance my
extravagant and luxurious lifestyle before I reach the age of 75. Traveling all
over the world doesn’t come cheap, you know!
Even now, having saved a substantial nest egg, earned a
decent pension from my federal retirement, and been assured by a financial
advisor that I can make it to age 95 (at least my bank account, if not my
bones), it’s difficult to shake the starvation mentality. If I take the subway to
that doctor’s appointment instead of a taxi, or even better use my bicycle,
then I can take Amtrak to Charleston for Thanksgiving, or splurge on croissante almandes in Paris. The math
may not add up, exactly, but the conscience is assuaged.
Because my brain continues to assure me saving money is a
necessary evil, I buy bread and cheese at local markets and frequent the youth
hostels of the globe. Just as well: I’m uncomfortable in fancy hotels and
restaurants anyway, where I have to give up my faded jeans and torn t-shirts
and constantly calculate tips.
As I’ve gotten older and required more comfort, my standards
have crept upward a bit. For example, I’m in a private room at the hostel in
Vancouver instead of a bunk in the women’s dorm. When I arrived at the airport,
I hopped in a taxi without even checking the bus schedule. And…ahem…I splurged
on a margarita last night. Not one to make radical changes quickly, however, I
ate two meals at a $6-for-every-dish joint—the student hangouts in Vancouver,
where a burger costs $15. I walked ½ mile to the ferry with two rolling
suitcases and a backpack. And, in need of musical sustenance on my three-week
sailing excursion, I bought a guitar at a Vancouver pawn shop instead of the
music store two blocks away. (I did look at the store first.) I’m scheduled on
Greyhound for my return to the USA, at least as far as Seattle.
In the absence of hard numbers, I still believe in the pluses
of my form of budget travel:
(1) Safety/security: this is number one for me, since I
frequently travel alone. I am far more comfortable meeting fellow travelers
over breakfast in a hostel than being chatted up in a hotel bar. I never fear
being followed to my hotel room (though I am careful in some of the
neighborhoods where hostels are located). I may be under an illusion, but my
instinct is that my baggage and valuables also may be more secure in a dorm of
young backpackers than locked in an anonym0us hotel room.
(2) Camaraderie: Many times I have discovered fellow
travelers at hostels to share rides, stories, and companionship in foreign
countries. This doesn’t happen at hotels.
(3) Pace: Studying bus and tram schedules, perusing maps,
calculating distances, researching attractions, and going places by public
transportation takes time. In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, I spent a whole
day finding the perfect inexpensive guesthouse after getting off a train. In
Zokopane, Poland, I followed an elderly woman for ½ hour to her house and
accepted a $6/night sofa bed in her den. Now that I’m retired, I have more time
than ever to spend finding resources and making my way to attractions.
Local flavor: In
Japan, people at the transit stations went out of their way to help me puzzle
through fares and directions. This doesn’t work for the traveler who wants to
be ushered around and entertained on a schedule. However, it grounds you in the
local scene and introduces you to its citizens. This, for me, is one of the
reasons for traveling.
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